Hard not to buy it !

I love 50s cardigans ! I’ve found amazing shop with all kind of vintage furniture and some vintage clothes here in Northampton.

I already hunted there intensively red Marks and Spencer coat. Too big but since I've got the idea to tailor some of my clothes…I’ll pick it up on Wednesday!

So usually I come in and see it immediately. I have photographic memory so when I saw this label:

I knew design will be gorgeous. 

First one I won on eBay of course. It had small tiny hole that I fixed and wool is a bit thinner and more fragile than the ‘new one’ I just bought.

I know already that Peter Scott has used ‘new kind’ of wool, as advertised: washable, shrink and resistant – Pure New Wool.

...I think that my green one shrank a bit… I believe that Everything can be hand washed. EVERYTHING. 

Doesn’t matter that I ruined one dress by washing it with another one too blue to be washed together with anything else. Also some knickers I accidentally damaged…I really shouldn’t have soaked it with darker lingerie.

Still Peter Scott design gives truly 50s shape. Just like turned triangle.

So I got myself loch blue Peter Scott cardigan.

No, it’s not like the one I already have. It’s greyish blue. Excellent condition. 

With original label which means, probably, it has never been worn.

About never worn items…I have this 40s brown dress. My boyfriend hates it because it's too granny style as he calls it. Well I like it. I just read somewhere that when Dita von Teese is choosing things to her house she's guided by the question : Would my Grandmother buy it?

Not that I do that but for my boyfriend I reach mostly this kind of effect.

It arrived to me from eBay seller with original labels.

After I abducted Peter Scott cardigan I noticed 100% cashmere dirty pink - another one. Again with original label.

Great condition but a bit mécheux at the back. So it will need a bit shaving and will be just as new!

Also thanks God for PayPal! As eBay addict I have had a lot of unpleasant experience. PayPal helped to get my money back so many times.

The turquoise dress I wrote about last time was advertised as: 

CONDITION

Great wearable condition, one or two small food marks to the right side of the bodice and skirts which I am sure would go with a dry clean.

So I did spent 15GBP for dry cleaning and more orange dots revealed themselves all over. I opened a case and seller informed me he’s so sorry that: ‘send the dress back and I’ll refund dress and shipping costs’. When I asked him what about dry cleaning costs – finally if you’re so sure food marks will go off why don’t you clean yourself before selling? – he refunded it without a word.I guess I'll work on it a bit now. What I do usually is buying thread in exact dress colour. So all my mistakes won't be visible so much since it's the same colour...I figured.

I’m not a tailor however my grandmother is but I know absolutely nothing about it. I was quite grown-up when I sewed my first button. But I really like to take care of all my vintage clothes. I enjoy keeping them alive, wear them, fix as much as I can, wash and iron.

 Maybe there’s no other like this one? I have a feeling of responsibility. If it lasted so many years I can’t be the one who’ll ruin it. If your wool cardigan is 50 it is better to count the time when you leave it in water to get rid of this characteristic oldie smell. Otherwise you’ll take it out three sizes smaller.

About the smell… my friend helped me finally to discover mystery of

What’s - this – smell – dress which is one of my favourites.

Naphthalene. 

I’m fighting it and still can’t help but wonder Do people feel it too ?

Daily Things

And again I spent today lots of money online… I threw 80 GBP only for silk knickers from Ayten Gasson. 

Also I’m happy to say that my boyfriend is Not reading my blog at all.
But even without him I always feel guilty when spend some money on myself. At the same time I can’t stop doing that. So finally I accepted the feeling and take this guilt as the receipt which goes with… Amazing silk lingerie!! They’re using original vintage printed silk and lace to produce these miracles !! So I ended up buying even another pair as I already have. Strange. 

Accidentally I won vintage nylon petticoat. Without constant internet access I have some difficulties with following my ‘winning for me’ website. I’m not so sad about it though..

Another eBay dress I won appeared to be all in stains and I mean not removable stains.. I have no idea why sellers cut their own wings by stating: these are just food marks. I’m convinced it will go away with dry cleaning.

That’s what I did and in the end I decided to take my friends advice.. huge lego fan, experienced eBay buyer and seller who’s opening directly a PayPal case as a first step anytime whenever anything goes wrong. There was a time when I used to be nice.
I used to write an email first. ‘Hi! Unfortunately something’s wrong with your item…’ and I’ve waited for two days. Than again another email and a week time. In the end I did open the case and got responds like : ‘Oh sorry, I was on holiday…’ ‘I didn’t have internet…’ or ‘I haven’t noticed your emails.’
So I’m waiting now. To escalate in the claim.
And the dress…well...
Fortunately there are some good bids:

And this is The Back !

Taschen, Andre de Dienes and Marilyn Monroe

I love TASCHEN books.
I can't live without pin up calendars:

wall calendar

Tear-off calendar

Notebook calendar

...and still I have Gil Elvgren by Taschen

Taschen published also stories by Eric Stanton:
http://pinup-life.blogspot.com/2011/04/men-vs-corsets.html

http://pinup-life.blogspot.com/2011/04/marriage-by-eric-stanton-part1_13.html

So I got extremely excited when I saw amazingly published Marilyn Monroe photos taken by Andre de Dienes and his diaries concerning their relationship.

All photos and diaries were given by Andres wife.

He describes all events from the moment they've met till her death.

I didn't appreciate him much after I finish the book. I guess he'd seen himself as a gentleman but I got the feeling that deep in his heart he was just a very simple man guided by his urges. He has claimed they were friends and Marilyn has thought of him as a family at some point.  But there are few moments where he describes her being depressed and with a lot of problems and still the only thing he's thinking of is having sex with her.

In his opinion sex with him would have solved all her struggles !!!

But that's true that for a while they were engaged however not really living together or next to each other.

Andre has been very superstitious. He has kept contact to fortune tellers, believed even in fortune telling through the phone, trusted in faith and all kind of signs.

I think that's the way she'd look down at her own death.

Few memories about her wanted to break up with sex bomb stereotype interpreted  in an interesting way by Andre.

There are many stories describing lonely Marilyn.
How placeless she was...

How she couldn't mange her problems and depression and how she faded...
That's actually quite strange how he describes no name model as much more sexy than Marilyn herself.

Book contains mostly photos of young Marilyn.

Probably all her future was written in lines on her hand.

Must - have for all fans!

She was very a beautiful and talented woman. I don't believe she has ever used plastic surgery to improve her beauty. 

...now, about this swimming suit...
My boyfriend and my friend think it is absolutely unacceptable to wear this kind of design nowadays because the shape is too 'granny style'.
I would definitively buy it and use it. 
It's very sexy. But maybe I just lost sense of reality...?
However I wouldn't buy original one because it's too much underwear kind and unfortunately I haven't met any nice reproductions yet.